Page 31 of All That We Keep
Luther's expression grows concerned. "You don't owe them a damn thing."
"I know," I push out, my fingers already moving over the keyboard. "But I'm hoping that by letting them in a little bit, they'll understand that I'm still the same person who built this company from nothing. That I’m just like them, another person with issues and problems and a pack who loves them despite it all."
Luther moves from the couch over toward my desk and perches his ass on the edge, his thigh brushing my arm. "Whatever you believe you need to do, I will be here right beside you, Blake."
I nod, taking a deep breath as I begin typing. It's time to take control of the narrative before someone else does it for me.
17
Blake
Luther snorts over my shoulder as he finishes reading it. “Babe, I love you but that doesn’t sound like you at all. It sounds so… formal. You’veneversounded like that and I don’t think I’ve ever read a professional email from you, not even to one of the investors.”
I scoff. “I can be professional when I want to. Look, is it good or not? I’m going to send it and then I want to go home and hold my Omega but not too hard because then the babies might come faster.”
“Blake, that’s not how babies work.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do, actually. Fuck, get your sexy little ass packed up and press the damn send button. You’re not going to rewrite it anyway.”
I laugh at that and send it, hoping that it will give people some peace of mind until the launch. I just need a little bit more time.
To the Keller Industries Team
I'm writing this letter not as your CEO addressing quarterly numbers or project timelines, but as Blake. The person who started this company in a cramped dorm room with nothing but code, caffeine, and a dream that video games could be more than just entertainment. They could be art. They could be connection. They could be home for people who didn't always fit in the real world.
I was just an Omega who wanted to build something. And I did.Starfalls.
Over the past few months, I know many of you have noticed my absences. The rumor mill has been working overtime, and while speculation doesn't usually bother me, I realize my silence has created uncertainty that affects all of us. You deserve transparency from the person who asks you to pour your creativity and passion into our shared vision.
The truth is, my life has been turned upside down in ways I never could have anticipated. A few months ago, I brought someone home. Someone I went to school with, someone I cared about deeply, someone who needed protection from a situation that most people wouldn't believe exists in our modern world. He wasn't just a friend returning to my life. He was an Omega who had been trafficked, abused, and sold by people who saw him as property rather than a person.
When I made the decision to bring him into my pack, I knew it would change everything. What I didn't anticipate was how much it would change me personally, or how the ripple effects would touch every aspect of my life, including this company thatI love more than I can express. My pack supports my decisions 100%, each of them loving my Omega just as much as I love him. We’re all made for each other.
However, I had no idea that it would be so hard.
I've been dealing with my own biological changes that I'm still learning to understand. Just a few days ago, I found out that I am no longer presenting as an Omega. My designation has shifted to something called a Delta. This transformation means things I always dreamed of for my future are no longer possible. It’s been difficult to wrap my head around this change when even the world around me is so uncertain.
But here's what hasn't changed: my commitment to this company, to our games, and to each of you who makes magic happen every single day.
In less than two weeks, I'm going to become a father. My Omega is carrying my twins and while that fills me with more joy than I thought possible, it also comes with responsibilities and protections that sometimes require my immediate attention. There have been legal battles, safety concerns, and threats that demanded I prioritize my family's wellbeing over board meetings and design reviews.
I know some of you have felt my absence. I know there have been decisions delayed, approvals that took too long, creative directions that lacked my input when you needed it most. For that, I am sorry. You signed on to work with the Blake who lived and breathed game development, who could recite every line of code in our engine, who stayed up until three in the morning debating character motivations and environmental storytelling. You deserved that Blake, and I haven't been able to give him to you consistently.
The Starfalls expansion represents everything we've learned as a company. It pushes our technology further than we've ever pushed it. It tells stories that matter, with characterswho feel real and worlds that invite exploration rather than exploitation. Every asset, every line of dialogue, every lighting effect represents hours of work from people who care about craft and art and the experience we're creating together.
But I want you to know that Starfalls is not the end goal. After this expansion launches, we're going back to our roots. We're going back to the basics of what made us fall in love with game development: the late night brainstorming sessions, the excitement of solving impossible technical challenges, the satisfaction of creating something beautiful that brings joy to players around the world.
I want input from everyone again. I want an environment where artists can challenge the narrative. I want the programmers to suggest gameplay mechanics that show off what our engine can really do. I want the sound designers to have opinions about character development. We're going back to the messy, beautiful, chaotic creative process that built this company.
I also need to address the elephant in the room. The rumors, the whispers, the questions about my pack and my personal life. Some of you have concerns about my relationship with my Omega, about bringing him into our work environment, about the complications his presence has created. I understand those concerns, but I also need you to understand something fundamental about who I am and what this company represents.
We exist in a world that wouldn't even let me run my own company without demanding that my Alpha sit across the hall to validate my decisions. A world that questions whether an Omega can handle the pressures of leadership. A world that sees pack dynamics as unprofessional rather than recognizing them as sources of strength and support.
I refuse to apologize for protecting my family. I refuse to apologize for choosing love over profit margins or safety overconvenience. And I refuse to run this company according to the expectations of people who think my worth is determined by my designation rather than my vision and capabilities.
I know I've failed some of you over these past months. I know there were times when you needed support, guidance, or simply acknowledgment that I wasn't able to provide. I hope that admitting these shortcomings is the first step toward rebuilding the trust and creative partnership that made this company special in the first place.
